Top Secret Ear Tool

It is so hard to listen to an amplifier, or a different tube, or parts change and make the right decision. Our ears are wonderful test devices, but our brain seems to just latch on to the positive things it hears. Live Music consists of a wide range of elements that contribute to its “Sound”. I think, long term listening enjoyment is achieved by products that reproduce the sound of all the elements of Music, well. In fact, I think an amplifier that provides good performance in all the elements of Music reproduction, sounds better than an amp that has great dynamics and presence but poor voicing or resolution.

I have been building my own audio amps for years. I was always frustrated by having to listen to a circuit or modification for a really long time before I could decide whether it got me closer to the Music. I chanced on an old audio evaluation tool that was used by an English Hi Fi Magazine in the 1950s. I experimented with it and developed a method that works for me. I think it will work for you too.

When I am developing an amp, listening to a tube or a part. I listen in Mono and compare the change against a baseline. I use a mono test box that blends both channels of the music source. That way I can switch from channel to the other to quickly compare the change. If it sounds better in Mono it will always sound better in Stereo. I use the “Top Secret Ear Tool’ to make sure I evaluate all the elements of Music.

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